Based on the satirical play by Friedrich Durrenmatt as adapted by Maurice Valency, The Visit is about greed, love, and one woman's carefully plotted revenge. The oft-widowed Claire Zachanassian (Chita Rivera), richest woman in the world, returns to the hardship-stricken town of her birth. The locals pray that her wealth will bring them a new lease on life, but her arrival carries a dreadful price. Tony Award winner Roger Rees co-stars as Anton Schell, the man who scorned Claire years ago. Sardonic and morally complex, The Visit asks "What can your heart afford?"
The excellent Roger Rees gives a nuanced, moving performance as the older Anton, and John Riddle embodies masculine grace playing him as a young man. But as Riddle and Veintimilla watch and shadow the more mature stars -- dancing and sometimes singing -- the mood becomes one of melancholy longing, bordering on melodrama. This seems at odds with the Brechtian vibe established by the severe-looking townsfolk surrounding them...In 100 minutes, Doyle thoughtfully touches on a range of subjects: mortality, bigotry, greed, revenge, regret...Ultimately, the show's most valuable asset is Rivera. Walking with a cane, the 82-year-old powerhouse expertly conveys her character's fragility and acerbic wit. Yet even while playing a woman who has been broken by bitterness, Rivera can't help but be a transcendent force. Her presence alone makes The Visit worth the trip.
Claire is Durrenmatt's vengeful god, out to make life a living hell for the townspeople who done her wrong long ago...The billionaire Claire is anything but a dame or a broad and she's certainly no Broadway gypsy. Which is what gives Rivera's performance such resonance and power: She's cast way against type, and at age 82 she exposes a facet of her stage persona never seen before. Amazing! Rivera is well matched by Rees...Rees's Anton gets it coming and going. Rees doesn't possess a good singing voice...His acting, though, carries the performance.
1999 | New York |
Reading New York |
2001 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production [Cancelled] Broadway |
2001 | Chicago (Regional) |
World Premiere Chicago (Regional) |
2004 | Off-Broadway |
Original Off-Broadway Production [Cancelled] Off-Broadway |
2007 | Arlington, VA (Regional) |
Signature Theatre Production Arlington, VA (Regional) |
2008 | Arlington, VA (Regional) |
Kander & Ebb Celebration Production Arlington, VA (Regional) |
2014 | Williamstown, MA (Regional) |
Williamstown Theatre Festival Production Williamstown, MA (Regional) |
2015 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Chita Rivera |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Terence McNally |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | John Doyle |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lyrics | Fred Ebb |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music | John Kander |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Musical | The Visit |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Set Design | Scott Pask |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Chita Rivera |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Roger Rees |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | The Visit |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Chita Rivera |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | The Visit |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design | Japhy Weideman |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Musical | The Visit |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Book of a Musical | Terrence McNally |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Japhy Weideman |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Carlos Arana |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Bruno Wang Productions |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Taylor Cleghorn |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Sandi Moran |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Mark Lee |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Ed Filipowski |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Blodgett Calvin Family |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Gabrielle Palitz |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Weatherby & Fishman LLC |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Marguerite Hoffman |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Jeremy Youett |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Terry Loftis |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Veenerick & Katherine Vos Van Liempt |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | 42nd club |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Silva Theatrical |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Williamstown Theatre Festival |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | The Shubert Organization |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Kate Cannova |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Peter Stern |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | The Visit |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Tom Kirdahy |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Edgar Bronfman, Jr. |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Tom Smedes |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Hugh Hayes |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Ted Snowdon |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Judith Ann Abrams |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Rich Affannato |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Hunter Arnold |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Carl Daikeler |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Ken Davenport |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Bharat Mitra |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Bhavani Lev |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Peter May |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Fred Ebb |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | John Kander |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Chita Rivera |
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